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Tag: medjool date

Compote is lazy jam. Date syrup is dates blended with water. I’m telling you this because dishes with a bunch of components often sound more complicated than they actually are. Let me smash that: I went for an 8km run Saturday morning, and afterwards these pancakes came together before I was even tempted by my frozen donut stash.

The compote and the syrup are a (pan)cake walk with a little pre-planning. I made them in just minutes on Friday night, so they were table-ready and waiting for breakfast. Before anyone starts yelling about what’s wrong with good ol’ fashioned maple syrup, let me say that post-Whole30, sugar and gluten have become a little scary, so to ease back into grains and syrups, these are gluten-free and the toppings have no added sugar.

The juicy seasonal strawberries with warming ginger match the cinnamon sweetness of the syrup, and together, they lighten the heavier texture and flavour of the buckwheat grain. These pancakes are also BOMB with almond butter. HOW-EV-ER, these would be just as amazing with maple syrup, so pick and choose your components!

1. Soak dates in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and put them in a blender with new water and blend on high until smooth. Start with less water and add more to get desired consistence. Add lemon juice and optional flavourings and blend again. Seal in a jar and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

1. Clean the strawberries and cut into pieces, depending on how you would like the final texture. For a slightly chunkier compote, halve them, for a smoother jam-like texture, try quartered or smaller.

2. Place the strawberries and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, using your spoon to break up the mixture as it heats up. When the berries are soft and the rendered liquid is syrupy and bubbly, turn off the heat. Stir in the ginger, chia seeds, and pepper. Let cool slightly, and store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.

2. In a large measuring cup, pour your buttermilk, or put one tablespoon of lemon juice in and add 1 1/4 cup of whatever milk you’re using. Stir until thickened slightly. Crack the egg into the milk and whisk to combine.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined—it will probably be a bit lumpy, that’s okay! Don’t stress and over-mix!

4. Grease a griddle or frying pan with a little butter over medium heat. Stir the batter once more to make sure it hasn’t separated. Measure out 1/4 c. of batter per pancake and pour it into the pan. When some bubbles appear, and the edges of the pancake are matte, flip and cook for another minute until golden brown. Store in a stove set to 200 degrees on a sheet pan to keep warm (or serve straight away)!

5. Serve topped with compote and syrup, or whatever you like. Nosh!

*If you’re new to buckwheat and want to ease in, or just want fluffier pancakes, swap half of the buckwheat flour in these for AP flour!